Crack cocaine dealer jailed for more than three years following Cambridge drugs bust

The ringleader of a class A drug operation based in Cambridge has been jailed for more than three years.

Bruno Timoteo pleaded guilty to a charge of being concerned with the supply of crack cocaine following a police drugs bust on an address in Winstanley Court in September 2012.

The News reported on the raid last August when fellow flat occupants Susan Woods, Paul Serunjoji and Milena Nusrat were sentenced for their involvement in the supply ring – but Timoteo did not answer his bail on that occasion.

Describing the incident, Michael Procter, prosecuting, told Cambridge Crown Court police were tipped off by a neighbour that the flat was being used for illegal activity.

He said: “At 12.08am on September 2, officers were granted access by Woods. There was a distinct smell of cannabis and the defendant was in a chair clearly under the influence of drink or drugs.

“He was searched and £500 was found in his back pocket and a cannabis joint was found next to him.

“Nusrat appeared from the toilet and was visibly shaking and she told officers she had drugs on her person that Timoteo had given to her to hide.”

A later search revealed 24 packages of crack cocaine concealed in her genitalia.

Police found scales, more cash and drugs throughout the property, and phones which linked the occupants with drug dealing.

Mr Procter added: “The phone records showed Timoteo offering cocaine to a number of persons and replies to these messages.

“There were also texts suggesting that Miss Woods had been letting them use her flat as a base after being threatened and coerced by the defendant.”

Woods received a six-month community order for permitting her premises to be used for the supply of a class A drug, Nusrat a 12-month suspended prison sentence for supply and possession, and Serunjoji got 16 months in jail for supply but argued he did what he was told by 28-year-old Timoteo.

Mr Procter said: “The crown says Timoteo occupied a significant role in this case. Not only was he dealing to others but he was doing it for financial reward. He seemed to be the main player as far as the others were concerned.”

Caroline Allison, mitigating, said her client, who is a Portuguese national, had turned his life around since his arrest and now has a partner, who is expecting a baby in May.

She said: “He accepts what he did and accepts the impact he had on drug users and the wider community, but now he is looking forward to a more positive future.”

Judge Mark Lucraft QC, sentencing Timoteo, of South East London, to three years and two months in prison, said: “Those involved in the supply of class A drugs for financial gain are preying on an addiction.”